Chapter 11 – The Secret Room7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl7LpVwdpV6
Janina had stopped believing in secrets. After all, what was left to uncover in a house where grief lingered in the walls, and eyes followed her like ghosts? She thought she had seen every room in the Villegas estate—until she didn’t.
It started with a scent. Old wood and something else—faint traces of lavender and forgotten ink. The hallway behind Gregory’s study was always locked, but today, it wasn’t. A sliver of light spilled from beneath the door.
Curiosity was a dangerous thing. Janina knew this.
But she opened it anyway.
The door creaked slowly, revealing a narrow staircase leading downward. It felt... untouched. Dust clung to the railings, but the air was strangely still. Sacred.
Each step down was a betrayal to her own logic. She should’ve gone back. Should’ve pretended she saw nothing.
Instead, she descended.
At the base was a small room, barely larger than a storage closet. Yet, it was full of memories that didn’t belong to her.
A piano sat in the corner—antique, black lacquer faded with time. Beside it, stacks of journals tied with ribbon. On the wall, pinned sketches—young Ethan’s handwriting visible in notes and musical annotations.
She reached for one of the journals. The ribbon came undone easily, like it had been waiting for her.
Inside were pages of raw, unfiltered grief.
“I hate her.”7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIK8y5u8c6Y
“I hate that she tries to smile at dinner like she belongs here.”7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Xqw2zoPXl
“My mother’s perfume still lingers on my pillow. I hope she chokes on it.”–E.V.
Janina’s chest tightened. Every word sliced through her like punishment. She kept flipping, even when her hands trembled.
“She cried when Dad touched her hand. She thinks I didn’t notice.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ax5Ab7k7x
But I did. And I hated that I did.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwKjGuvCqHX
I hated how her lips trembled.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEp4PelNS7d
I hated how I felt watching them.”
Her breath hitched.
“I don’t hate her anymore.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCKaE2zAwD6
I wish I did.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhnF641dTR9
It would make this easier.”
She dropped the journal.
The sound echoed. She backed away, heart pounding, unsure what disturbed her more—the room or the honesty in his words.
“Did you find what you were looking for?” a voice behind her asked.
Janina turned, startled. Ethan stood at the doorway, his face unreadable, but his eyes were alight with something she couldn’t name.
“How long have you been writing about me?” she asked, voice low.
He stepped forward, into the dim glow of the room.
“Since the first night you touched my shoulder and apologized for taking my mother’s seat at dinner.”
Janina swallowed. “This isn’t right.”
Ethan tilted his head. “Then why are you still here?”
“I don’t know,” she whispered. “I thought I did.”
“You’re in my secret,” he said quietly. “And secrets change people.”
She looked at him, and for the first time, she didn’t feel like his stepmother.
She felt like his muse.
And that was more terrifying.
ns216.73.216.238da2
